Bassist, composer, bandleader and educator, with more than three decades of professional playing and teaching experience.
A career built on real-world musicianship, shared through a practical and deeply musical approach to bass education.
I’ve been teaching bass since 1989. That’s 36 years of private tuition, masterclasses and tutor training.
I currently teach at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and The Centre for Music Performance at the University of Cambridge, alongside work delivered at institutions across the UK and internationally.
My teaching and course design are shaped by what I’ve learned as a working musician. Every lesson connects technique and knowledge to the musical situations bass players face on stage, in rehearsals and in the studio.
I started out playing with Jimmy Somerville and London bands Raw Stylus and Urban Species in the 1990s, before spending the next three decades working as a session player.
Across those years, I have worked with an eclectic list of artists including Paul Weller, Queen, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Mick Jagger, Robbie Williams, Sinéad O’Connor and Roger Daltrey.
Between 2014 and 2020, I toured and recorded with Hans Zimmer, contributing to projects connected with soundtracks including Dune, The Boss Baby, A Knight’s Tale and Alfie.
In 2020, I was awarded an MBE for services to music in the UK.
As a bandleader, my funk and fusion group Project pH released its debut album, Acid Funk, through my independent label Mamayo Records. Along the way, the band achieved a three-year residency at Ronnie Scott’s.
My newest project is Triometry, a jazz-fusion band with an album due for release in winter 2026.
I also run workshops and clinics for musical instrument brands including Fender, Elixir Strings, Dingwall, Sandberg and EICH Amplification.
Students at The Bass Teacher follow a curriculum built from real-world musicianship: technique, fretboard knowledge, harmony, rhythm, phrasing and dynamics. Everything I teach has been shaped by what I have needed as a professional musician, whether on stage or in the studio.
In The Building Blocks of Bass, through both one-to-one lessons and group courses, musicianship develops naturally as part of learning the instrument. These essentials help players understand how to play, what to play and when to play it.
The programme is designed specifically for bass players and the roles we fulfil: as the backbone of the song, the communicating bridge between harmony and the rhythm section, and as featured soloists.
Choose a structured group course or work directly with Yolanda through personalised one-to-one tuition.
Start with a free course call to discuss your current playing, your goals and the most suitable route forward.
